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Down, Warbeast and Lord Dying

Down has stuck around longer than I ever anticipated. The band—featuring former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo and Corrosion of Conformity guitarist Pepper Keenan—was more a side project than anything. But more than two decades after first coming together, Down rages on. In that time, many lesser bands have latched onto Down's swampy metal sludge. It's no-frills stuff, given more weight by the band's stellar lineup. The band's latest, Down IV Part I: The Purple EP, is as lean and mean as their 1995 debut. And they've proven themselves road warriors, too, bringing graying metalheads and young heshers into the same pit. Down aren't in the same league as the "Big Four" of Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax, and Megadeth, but an argument can be made that they could take one of those bands out on a good night. MARK LORE